Stacker



Sept. 9, 1941. A G. c. PAxToN 2,255,297

' y sTAcKER Original Fi`led Jly-G, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet l Arrow/Ey Sept. 9, 1941.- G. c. PAxToN 2,255,297

STAGKER Original Filed July 6, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 9, 1941. G. CQPAXTQN STAGKER original Filed July e, 1957 5 sheets-sheet s sept. 9, 1941. G. c. PAXTQN STAGKER 5 Sheets-Sheet A.v

Original Filed July 6, 1937 In! NN.

I 27mm/Ey Sept. 9, 1941. G. c. PAx'roN STAGKER Original Filed July 6, 1937 5 Shee'cs--SheefI 5 m m W ww www www www www www www wwwwww www www www www o o ww o wwww www www www. www ww `www WMWM /N WWW. NWN QW. ww www ww www www wv RN. NQINNWQN Sh MWN NKN. ww\\ww\\ w www www www www www www www www 0. O www Q www www www w ww Patented Sept. 9, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Genna c.. rmoamvmiae. can., assigne; to Food Machinery Corporation, San Jose, Calif., a corporation of Delaware originalappueauon July s, 1937, serm No..

1940, serial No. 345,031. l

aclaims. VA(Cisa-93) This invention relates-to vthe stacking .of articles having substantially the shape of a parallelopipedon and may be used in the stacking of box heads, boxes, trays, or other similar articles.

This is a divisional application, the subject matter of which has been carved out of the vco pending application of Hale Paxton and Gerald C. Paxton, Serial No. 152,076, led July 6, 193'?, on-Machine for the manufacture of box parts, now Patent No. 2,243,919, dated June 3, 1941.

It is an object of this invention to provide a stacking device for stacking articles of the type aforesaid to which a series of the articles to be stacked may be fed, and which will form a stack of said articles and release the same for discharge from the device when the stack reaches a given size.

It is a further object o this invention to provide in such a box stacking device a novel means for predeterminng the size of the stack to be formed therein.

The manner ofaccompllshing the foregoing objects as well as further objects and advantages willvbe made manifest in the following description taken in connection with the following drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a machine for the manufacture of box parts which includes therein a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of said machine.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on .the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 and illustrates the stacking device of said machine in the act of receiving an article to be stacked.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken on the line 4--5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 and illustrates Divided and this lllllicationuly 12,

porting iingersin their stack supporting positions.

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 7 and illustrates l the manner in which the stack size determining stack supporting position to permit the discharge of a stack from the stacking device.

the stacking device of said machine in the act of incorporating an article just received with the stack being formed therein.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 5 illustrating the manner in which the stacking device of said machine operates to cause'the discharge of a stack after' the latter has been formed in said device. v

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the une 1 1 of Fig. 2 and illustrating the novel stack size determining mechanism ofthe stacking device of this invention.

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view taken on the une 3 8 of Fig. '1 and showing the stack sup; 55 and 6l. Mounted on these upright bars are mag- Fig. 11 is a view simuar to Fig. 1o and inustrates a stack being lowered between the stack Y supporting fingers when the latter are retracted from stack supporting posit-ion.

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary detail view comprising a horizontal section taken on the line l2-l2 of Fig. 7.

Referring specifically to the drawings, it is tc be noted that the preferred' embodiment of the stacking device of this invention as therein disclosed is included in a boxhead sawing `machine '29. This machine includes a frame 2 l a box head runway and magazine means 22, a stack storage conveyor 23, a power mechanism 24, 'a feed mechanism 25, a saw mechanism 2l and a stacking mechanism 28.

The frame 21 The frame 2l preferably includes four legs 35, two of which carry xed axle wheels 36, and two of which carry casters 31. `The legs 35 are .united at their upper ends by a rectangular angle iron head frame 38 and at their lower ends by a base frame 39. Mounted on top of head frame 38 is a top plate 49. This top plate is provided with openings 4i, 42, 43,'and 46. The frame 2l also has vertical members 50 which carry bearings 52.

The head runway and magazine means 22 Rigidly'secured .to the upper face of the top plate 40 is an angle iron member 60 (which runs practically the full length of the top plate) and angle iron members SI, 62. and 63 which are dis- -posed in alignment with each other and uniformly spaced from the angle iron to cooperate therewith to form a box head guide runway 6I.

ngi.

azine walls 18 and 19, the upper ends of these walls being spaced by spacers 80. The wall 19 at the left hand or open end of the magazine 10 is flared, as indicated in Fig. 2, and the corresponding end of the wall 18 is provided with a flared latchgate 8| which is yieldably biased inwardly into box head trapping position by a leaf spring Mounted on the angle iron is a limit switch- 96 having a finger 81 which is yieldably pressed inwardly into the magazine into the position in which it is shown in Fig. 2, in a manner well known in the art, and when so positioned the circuit of the switch 86 is open. The switch 8S is so made, however, that when box heads are placed in the magazine 10, as shown in Fig, 4, so that two or more heads are disposed at the bottom of the magazine, the nger 81 is held outwardly by these heads, thus maintaining the circuit of the switch 86 closed.

That portion of the runway 64 which is disposed in the middle of the machine is where the box heads are positioned in what may be referred to as a processing position as it is in this position in which each box head is processed in the machine. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the angle iron 62 is provided with sloping slots 90 and the angle iron 60 is provided with a sloping slot 9|, these slots all sloping downwardly toward magazine 10 and at the same angle. Mounted in the slots 90 and 9| by pins 92 and 93 is a saw guard and head gripping member 95, the pin 93 being secured to the member 95 by a bar 96 which is slidable in a suitable opening provided in the member 95 and adjustably secured thereto by a set screw 91. As indicated in Fig. 3, the left hand end of the member 95 is provided with an upwardly inclined guide face 98, the purpose of which will be made clear hereinafter. As shown in Fig. 2, the member 95 has a saw guard 99 provided thereon Which is disposed directly over and in alignment with the opening 42 in the frame top plate 40. i

At points opposite the processing position in the center of the machine previously referred to, the angle iron 60 is provided with guide bars H0 which are preferably welded to this angle iron member, the latter also having slots formed in its upright flange opposite these bars. Disposed to slide against bars H0 and extend through the slots so as to overlie the adjacent runway rail 65, is a pair of nailing anvils H2 which are yieldably held in engagement with the left ends of the slots by coil springs H3. The inner edges of the anvils H2 are for the most part 'fiat and parallel with the rails 65, but their leftwardmost portions are beveled as shown in Fig. 2.

Mounted on the right hand end of the angle iron 60 and on the angleviron 63 is a stacker magazine which is disposed directly over the opening 43 in the frame top plate 40 and includes upright fiat bars |2| and upright angle iron bars |22 and |23 upon which magazine walls |24.are

supported.

The Walls and the upper ends of the bars 2|, |22, and |23 are rigidly spaced by spacers |25.

Pivotally mounted on a vertical axis on the angle iron 63 is a stack stop |30 which is yieldably held by spring |3I into a position as shown in Fig. 2 in front of a stack of heads disposed in the magazine |20.

- Thev stack storage conveyor 23 'I'his conveyor is preferably of the ordinary gravity type and includes an inclined gravity conveyor section |35 which is secured to the right hand end of the head frame 38 and isbraced from beneath by a brace |36 connected to the base frame 39. At the end oi the conveyor |35 is a stop |31.

The power mechanism 24 The boa: head feed mechanism 25 Secured to the bottom of the frame top plate 40, on opposite sides of the opening 4| therein, is a pair of guide bars |10 which, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, slidably support a feed slide block |1|. The block |1| has openings |12 and |13, in the first of which is pivotally mounted the rear end of an arm |14 having a feed dog |15 at its front end which extends up into opening |13. The arm |14 has a limited degree of movement relative to the slide block |1|, by virtue of a pin |16 on this block extending into a slot |11 on this arm. The arm |14 is pivotally connected by links |18 to the upper end of a power lever |19, the lower end of which is pivotally mounted on a shaft |80 provided on the base frame 39 of the machine. The links |18 extend leftward beyond their pivotal connection with the lever |19 and are connected by a contractile spring |8| to the lever |19 to continually urge the arm l|14 into its upwardmost position in which the dog |15 extends above the upper surface of the box head guide rails 65.

The lever |19 has a pin |82 which extends through a slot |03 in a bifurcated head |84 of a pitman |85 having a lower forked end |86 which is connected to the crank pin |81 of the crank |43, as shown in Fig. 3, (and as will be presently described) so that as this crank |43 rotates the i lever |19 is swung back'and forth causing a reciprocation of the sliding head |1| from one end of the magazine 10 to the other for the purposel of feeding box heads from the lower end of this magazine.

The saw mechanism 27 2|4 in which is journalled a saw shaft 2|5 having a pulley 2|6 which is directly connected by V belts 2| 1 to a pulley 2|8 mounted on the shaft of the motor 2|3. To the opposite end of the shaft 2|5 is fixed a circular saw 220 which lies in the vertical plane of the longitudinal axis of the opening 42 in theA top plate 40 and the corresponding opening provided in the saw guard 99. 'I'he end of the bearing 2|4 adjacent the saw 220 provides an outer bearing surface which lafianza? pivotally receives the upper end Iof `a. pitman 22|, the lower end of which pivotally connects with crank |43 and is provided with a bearing ear 222 to which the bifurcated end |86 of the pitman |86 pivotally connects. It is thus seen that rotation of the shaft |42 reciprocates the saw 220 up and down between its lower position as substantially shown 'in Fig. 3 and its uppermost p0- sition as shown in Fig. 5.

The stacking mechanism 28 Provided on the saw mechanism base 2|6 is ing the ngers 211 and 218 in their inwardmost positions.

a lug 236 having a bolt 23| which is disposed in a slot 232 formedln a link 283. The upper 'end of the link 233 is pivoted at 234 to a pair of arms 235 on a shaft 236, the opposite ends of the latter journalling 'in bearings 231 provided on the frame. Disposed parallel with the shaft286 and having its opposite ends journalled in bear- Y ings 246 provided on the frame is a similar `shaft Shaft 21's has a short arm 282 extending downwardly therefrom adjacent the shaft 236, and a link 283, which is also adjacent'the shaft 236, pivotally` connects to arm 282 and to the finger 218 in alignment therewith as shown in Fig. 8. 'I'he forward end of the link` 283 extends to a point close to the rear face of theratchet gear wheel 26| and is there provided with a roller 284 which lies in the path of the cam lug 262 provided on this ratchet gear. When the ratchet gear' 26| is rotated as by engagement of the pin v266 therewith, so as to bring the lug 262 into engagement with the roller 284, this results' in the link 283 being swung rearwardly, thus rocking the shafts 216 and 216 and swinging the fingers 211 and 218 outwardlyfrom within the magazine |28, as shown in Fig. 10.

Y Operation The operation of the sawing machine isv as follows:

The magazine 10 'is rst furnished with a supply of blank box heads H so as to substantially fill this magazine, the lowermost heads in the magazine engaging the linger 81 of the switch 86, as shownin Fig. 4, to close this switch. As

Connected at its opposite ends to the saw mechanism base 2li? and to the bar 243 is a contractile spring 25| which tends to yieldably maintain this bar in its lowermost position resting on the shafts 246 and 24|.

Referring now to Figs. '1 to 12 inclusive, it is to be noted that shaft 236 extends forwardly through the forwardmost bearing 231, where it carries freely rotatable thereon a ratchet'gear 260 having a series of semi-circular recesses 26| formed in its periphery. Gear 260 has a cam lug 262 provided on its rear face, as shown in Figs. 8, 10, and 1l.

Fixed upon the forward extremity of the shaft 236 is an arm 263 which, with the gear 260, extends upwardly through opening 46 in the top plate and into a hood 264 mounted on the top plate over this opening. l

Provided on the upper end of the arm 263 is a dog 265 carrying a pin 266 which extends out through an opening 261 in the side of the hood 264, the lower surface of this opening being shaped to permit the pin 266 to drop downwardly into one of the recesses 26| in the periphery of the gear wheel 260 and rotate this wheel a given distance when the arm 263 rocks with the shaft Pivotally mounted on the hood 264 and springbiased downwardly is a detent dog 268 having a pin 269 which tends to rest at all times in one of the recesses 26|, excepting when the ratchet f vgear 260 is being rotated by the pin 266.

ing against an opposite pair of the fingers 211 and 218 areleaf springs 28| for yieldably holdthis switch is included in the wiring circuits of the motors |48 and 213, these motors may now be energized by turning on the switch controlling the supply of electricity thereto. When lthis takes place, the saw wheel 226, of course, is set in motion and rapidly rotated in the direction of the arrow 285 (see Figs. 3and 5). At the same time, the shaft |42 is being rotated by the motor |40 in the direction of the arrow 286.

With the ilrst rotation of the shaft |42, the feed dog |15 is caused to engage the lowermost blank box head H in the magazine 16 to feed this alongthe runway 64 into processing position. In

' this movement the head H engages the cam face 98 of the member 95, thereby shifting the latter slightly to the right, the slots 90 and 9| thereby .causing this member to be raised slightly to adprocessing position is thus completed, the crank |43 swings upwardly the whirling circular saw 220 which,l owing to the direction of its rotation, tends to return this head H from the position in which it is firstcontacted back toward theA magazine 16 from which it came.. Owing to the in-a clinationof thevslots and 9|, however; this tendency results in the member binding said head H downwardly againstthe rail 65 'on which the head is resting. vAt the same time'this-occurs, the tendency of this head H to return toward the magazine 10 'under the impulse of the saw 220 causes a frictional engagement of this head with the wedges ||2, -thereby causing the latter to bind the head against the angle iron 62 and prevent any motion of the head in response to the rotating saw 220. Each head H, when it is fed into processing position and immediately thereafter engagedby the rising and rotating saw 220, is .thus rigidly locked against returning toward the magazine 10 from which it came.

Following the processing cfa given box head H in the manner above described, the saw 228 returns downwardly with the downward swinging of the crank |43 and another cycle of operations is commenced by the feeding of a fresh blank into processing position by another rightward movement of the dog |15.` As the new blank is thus fed from the magazine 18 into proc-A essing position, it expels from this position the blank head just processed and the completion of the feeding of the second blank leaves thefirst one disposed within the stacking magazine |28. Rightward movement of this finished head is halted lby its engaging the spring stop |38, the finished head now resting upon rollers 248 and 249 with the latter in their lower position, as shown in Fig. 3.

As the saw mechanism 21 is swung upward fiom the position in which it is shown in Fig. 3, to slot the second blank, the bolt 23| travels along the slot 232 of the link 233 and, having reached the upper end of this slot, starts to lift on the arms 235. This results vin rocking the shafts 236 and 24| and lifting upwardly the'rollers 248 and 249 and the finished head supported thereon.

As the rollers 248 and 248 rise, they lift the box head resting thereon against the fingers 211 and 218 and cam fingers apart permitting this box head to rise above the normal position of these fingers, .whereupon the springs 28| shift said fingers back into the positions in which they are shown in Fig. 1l. As the saw mechanism 21 descends at the conclusion of the processing of the second blank hereinabove discussed, gravity, assisted by the spring 25|, will pull the bar 243 downward until it rests upon the shafts 236 and 24|, thereby rocking the latter and returning the arms 235 and rollers 248 and 249 back into their lowermost positions in which they are shown in Fig. 3. A

The first box head is now left resting on the upper ends of fingers 211 and 218 as shown in Fig. 8. As the operation of the machine 28 is continued and the successive box heads H are processed, fed into the stacking magazine, and

lifted upwardly by the stacker mechanism 28, these heads .accumulate above the fingers 211 and 218 to form a stack.

When the machine 28 is started, the ratchet wheel 26| is preferably adjusted so that the 'cam lug 262 is disposed just beneath the roller 284. The arm 263 is so fixed on the end of the shaft 236 that with each cycle of operation of the machine the pin 266 engages one of the recesses 26| in the ratchet gear 268 and rotates this gear exactly the space between adjacent recesses 26|. As therev are twenty-five recesses 26| about the periphery of the gear 268, it is thus seen that a 'stack of twenty-five heads H will have been processed and accumulated in the stacker magazine |20 before the gear 268 will have rotated sufficiently to bring the cam lug 262 to the position in which it is shown in Figs. 1'() and 11 where it will engage the roller 284 and shift the ngers 211 and 218 outwardly. As this happens at a time when the rollers 248 and 249 are disposed upwardly so as to support the stack on the rollers, the return downward of these rollers as the saw mechanism is lowered does not leave the stack resting on the ngers 211 and 218 as was previously the case, but allows the stack t`o be carried downwardly on these rollers so that the lowermost box head in the stack is directly in line with the head just processed and which is about to be ejected into the stacker magazine. Being thus in the path of the incoming manufactured head,

the stack is expelled from the stacking magazine by said head as the latter moves into the stacking magazine,V the spring stop |38 yielding to permit the stack to pass. When thus expelled, the stack travels along-the idle roller conveyor section |35 of the stack accumulating conveyor 23 and comes to rest against the end stop |31.

From the foregoing description, it is seen that after the machine 28 is once started, the only thing that is necessary to do in order for the ,processing operation of` the machine 28 to continue indefinitely without halting is to keep the feed magazine 18 supplied with blank box heads, and to keep the accumulating conveyor 23 from becoming congested with stacks of processed heads. It is to .be.noted, however, that in the event that a supply of blank box heads is not maintained in the feed magazine 18, the finger 81 of the switch 86 will be automatically released and permitted to spring upwardly, thereby breaking the circuit of the switch and shutting off the motors |48 and 2| 3.

I claim: y

l. In combination: means for feeding a series of box parts in edge-to-edge relation along a given path; means to form a stack of said box parts in a given space above said path by lifting each of-said box parts upwardly from said path into said space before the next successive box part is fed along said path beneath said space; releasable means for supporting said parts as so elevated; and means for releasing said stack from said supporting means when said stack reaches a predetermined size and permitting said stack to be discharged from said space along said path by the4 continued feeding of said lbox parts.

2. In combination: means for feeding a series of Ibox parts in edge-to-edge relation along a given path; means to form a stack of said box parts in a given space above said path by lifting said box parts successively upwardly from said path, said means including yieldable dogs adapted to yield when each such part is moved up- -wardly and then shift into position beneath the stack to support the latter; and means respon-v sive to a predetermined number of operations'of said stack forming means to retract said dogs thereby causing said stack to be lowered with a downward movement of said stack forming means and ejected from said space by an incoming box part.

3. In a stacking device, the combination of: means for elevating a series of articles, one at a time, along'a given vertical path, to form a stack; means for supporting said stack as it is formed; and means operative upon said stack reaching a given size, to lower said stack along said path to substantially the same level from which said individual articles were elevated, to facilitate the delivery of said stack from said stacking device.

4. In an article stacking device, the combination of: means adapted to receive a series of articles,` one at a time, at a given level, and elevate said articles in sequence as received to form a stack of said articles in a given vertical path; means applied to the lowermost article of said stack for supporting said stack as it is formed; and means operative, upon said stack reaching a predetermined size, for relaxingv said stack supporting means to permit said stack to ride downwardly on said elevating means to substantiallythe aforesaid level to facilitate the discharge of said stack from said device.

5. In a stacking device, the combination of:

stack; means for supporting said stack as it is formed; means operative, when said stack reaches a predetermined size, to lower said stack along said path through said stack supporting means to facilitate the delivery of said stack from said device.

6. In a stacking device. the combination of: means for feeding a series of articles along a given level; elevating means operating in a given vertical path to receive said articles on said level and elevate said articles in sequence as they arrive in said path; means for receiving and supporting each article elevated .by said elevator when said elevator returns downwardly after elevating said article; and means operative, when said stack reaches a given size, to withdraw said article supporting means from supporting relation with the lowermost article of said stack, to permit said stack to return downwardly on said elevator to facilitate the discharge of said stack from said stacker with the lowerinost article of said stack substantially on said level.

7. In a stacking device, the combination of: means for feeding a series of articles along a given level; means for forming a stack of said articles in a given vertical path, into which said articles are fed by the aforesaid means; and

v means for releasing said stack and causing said 8. In combination: means for feeding a series of .box parts or the like in edge-to-edge relation along a given path and into a given position therein; yieldable stop means for stopping" the foremost .box part in said position; idle rollers for supporting parts in'said position; means for elevating each of said parts from said position into a given space above said path to form a stack of said parts in said space, said elevation occurring prior tothe feeding of the next part into said position; releasable 'means for retaining said parts so elevated and means for releasstack to be returned to said level when said stack has reached a predetermined size, to permit said stack to be fed from said path by the feeding-of the next article in said series into said path.

ing said stack from said releasable means when said stack reaches a predetermined size, and permitting said stack to rest on said rollers in said path whereby said stack isdischarged from the machine by the next part fed into said position.

9. In combination: means for feeding a series of box parts or the like successively to a given position; elevating means operating through said position to-lift said box parts successively into the space thereabovve; means for supporting each of said parts in said space when said part has been so' elevated and thus forming a stack in said space; and means adjustable to predetermine the number of parts tolbev contained in said stack and rendering said supporting means inoperative to support .the parts in said stack when said number of parts hasfbeen reached, thereby depositing said stack on said elevating means and facilitating the discharge of said stack GERALD C. PAXTON. 

